How Simple it is to Say
by FatMatDuhRat
Summary: Archer and Hoshi meet for the first time. Takes place a few months before "Broken Bow."


Title: "How Simple it is to Say"  
Author: FatMatDuhRat  
E-Mail: FatMatDuhRat@AOL.com  
Rating: G  
Category: Friendship  
Code: A/S  
Summary: Archer and Hoshi meet for the first time. Takes place a few months before "Broken Bow."  
  
  
The radiant red light from the sun streaked its way across the immense region of  
the sky above Korean peninsula. Jonathan Archer leaned his shuttlepod into a steep  
angle of descent as he pointed the tiny Starfleet vessel away from the incredible  
view of the infinite horizon. His ship gently made its way down towards the hazardous  
surface of the mountains below, and he was soon approaching his expected landing site  
while coasting at one-fourth of the previous speed.  
  
He casually sat inside the heavy metal box and hovered for a while, watching as each  
wing retracted itself back into a more relaxed position. The smooth stone-face of the  
cliff below became closer with each passing second, and then he felt a gentle nudge  
underneath his seat as the belly of the ship kissed the ground.  
  
Archer stared with total wonder as he walked out of the shuttlepod. The ancient  
Buddhist temple that stood before him was more fascinating to look at than the  
enormous rose garden that sat behind him, floating in the sky. Bright puffs of red  
and pockets of dark blushes were still being formed by the setting sun, but all he  
could see were the two giant golden doors that stretched up and into the rock that  
covered them. Even from more than seventy meters away, he could still distinguish  
many of the intricate features that were carved into their surface.  
  
A lone monk patiently waited for him at the entrance, and his clean-shaven head was  
seen shining from the light within the air as it dissipated around them. The man  
deeply bowed his body into the folds of his saffron colored robe at the precise  
moment that Jonathan stepped within the holy area that surrounded them.  
  
Archer was unaccustomed to the gesture, but not unprepared. He stooped over until his  
head was lower than the other man's and proceeded to whisper the appropriate greeting  
required of a traveler who chooses to visit the shrine. "ohm, bodhisattva Shari." The  
minute priest immediately glanced up and flashed his guest a remarkably pleasant  
smile.  
  
"Bodhisattva, Chari. But you are still welcome within our home, noble sir." And with  
that, the distinct Asian cordially turned and began to shuffle down the long dark  
path in order to lead Archer to his final destination. Somewhere within the temple  
was an ancient library, and it would be inside of those hallowed walls that he would  
finally get to meet the young Japanese woman he'd only heard scant rumors about.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Tiny amounts of fluorescent lamps poured a bright white color onto the ceiling, but  
Archer could also see a series of neo-halogen tubes hanging inside of the chamber  
over his head. Their curved structure was designed to direct a great amount of  
luminosity through a sheet of transparent aluminum. Various wires and connecting  
tubes were embedded into the high ceiling directly above, and all of the light was  
pointed down at an area that housed a multitude of curled scrolls and hundreds of  
thick, dusty books.  
  
One priest, almost identical in appearance to the man that accompanied him, was  
standing along the side of a large table. From far away, the special illumination of  
the room left the monk within the shadows, but Archer could still see him. In front  
of him was the only other occupant in the area; the woman he had come there to see.  
She was quietly sitting at the center of the wide, open space. Dust mites trailed  
around her face as she read, and the only sound was the occasional crack of an old  
parchment as it was folded.  
  
The little man at her rear had his eyes closed, and it seemed to Archer that he was  
meditating. Suddenly, the girl quickly shifted her body forward and made a tiny  
squeak into her cupped hands. What sounded like a meek sneeze escaped out of her  
mouth and the vigilant monk behind her swiftly stepped forward. He held out a  
perfectly clean, bright orange piece of cloth before her and muttered the words,  
"Chou cho."  
  
Jonathan smiled warmly as he watched their exchange of pleasantries, but then he  
casually made his way forward to where they were congregating. The petite bald man  
glanced at the new arrival warily, but then receded as he saw one of his fellow  
members of the cloth slide along next to the intimidating figure. The young lady with  
the long, dark hair seated at the tremendous table had just finished using the  
handkerchief when he reached her. His shadow drifted directly over the work she had  
been studying, and her posture stiffened as she sheepishly looked up to see who was  
interrupting her.  
  
"Miss Hoshi Sato, my name is Jonathan Archer." He extended his burly hand out to her  
while flashing a friendly grin. "We've only communicated through electronic messages,  
but I felt it would be best for us to physically meet each other."  
  
Hoshi continued to dab at the tip of her nose with a bit of embarrassment, but she  
hastily stood up and returned the greeting. She had to tilt her chin up in order to  
meet his eyes, but she forced herself to focus on them as she spoke.  
  
"Yes, Captain Archer! I remember you saying in your last letter that you'd be on  
Earth for a few weeks. It's great to finally meet you, sir."  
  
"Likewise, Ensign Sato." Archer slowly rubbed his palms together as he lazily glanced  
around the room. "I have to congratulate you on finding such a wonderful place to  
continue with your studies."  
  
"Thank you, sir. This temple had a seven month waiting list for any scientist or  
archaeologist outside of Starfleet trying to get in here."  
  
Archer's face broke out into another light smile. "I guess that's one of the  
advantages we have in working for the betterment of Earth compared to those who are  
merely trying to expand the knowledge within their own minds."  
  
"Well," Hoshi began, "being a part of Starfleet has certainly helped me gain access  
to places like this everywhere in the world. However, I had to work incredibly hard  
in order to become an officer and live up to academic standards."  
  
"Yes," he said, slowly nodding, "We all have to go through that, but what are your  
plans for the future?"  
  
Hoshi snapped out her answer immediately. "I have a very good feeling that the  
expansion of my rank and career is far from over, sir."  
  
Jonathan nodded and walked around a bit. He observed the numerous paper artifacts  
that were strewn across the table. Hoshi and the monk watched as he gently ran his  
fingers across a few books, and then carefully slid the palm of his hand along the  
sides of several scrolls. Archer took special care in his actions, so as not to  
disturb the overall peaceful environment which existed within the spacious room. A  
particular page caught his eye and he waved for her to come over and take a look at  
it.  
  
She bent over and peeked at the image for a second before her eyes lit up. "Does this  
picture give you any ideas, sir?"  
  
"Please call me Jonathan, and yes, it most certainly does."  
  
Hoshi turned to the robed man and whispered three words to him. He gave them both a  
curt bow and then took off into a far corner of the room. They watched him disappear  
into the darkness for a moment before hearing the sound of a heavy door being dragged  
open.  
  
The little man popped out again a second later. He gave them a gentle wave as he  
stood within a tiny pool of light that came down from the opening leading to the next  
room. Both of them returned his gesture and then began walking towards him.  
  
Archer broke the silence first. "So, Hoshi, that piece of art back there -- Was that  
supposed to be a deity, or a great king of some kind?"  
  
"Oh, no... that's not it at all Jonathan." She cupped her hand to her mouth again,  
but this time it was to hide her growing smile. Before he could become suspicious,  
Hoshi forced herself to calm down and answer the Captain's question.  
  
"It's just a common picture; there are hundreds of them that I've seen regularly.  
That same character is on dozens of pages, but he's merely a happy fat man eating a  
bowl of noodles and soup."  
  
Archer didn't seem too disappointed to hear this, nor did he show Hoshi any signs  
that he detected her amusement at his mistake. "All right, I can see how that would  
be a better interpretation instead of my uneducated guess. But I have one more  
question for you; what do those words underneath it say?"  
  
Hoshi quickly fired off her answer. Her voice was sharp and displayed none of the  
humorous attitude she'd just had only a moment ago.  
  
"Well, sir, I mean -- Jonathan. The words below the drawing are part of another  
section to that page. You must mean the text to the left of it."  
  
"Yes, that's it; the specific part that goes with it."  
  
She gently cleared her throat before reciting the translation she had memorized. "Joy  
flows into the body / while good food is consumed."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Archer could see less than a dozen other people in the room, but this was obviously  
where everyone came to serve themselves a meal. Hoshi and he were the only ones not  
dressed in the bright colored garments worn by the Buddhist monks. There was no line  
to wait in, nor was there a protein resequencing device waiting for them on top of  
the far away table. Instead, three large cauldrons were implanted in the wall at the  
far side of the room.  
  
The giant pots continuous spilled out steam, and a pile of smooth wooden bowls sat on  
a shelf underneath. They could both see how a person could easily approach the corner  
of the dining area to gather some chopsticks, and then follow the individual path in  
front of them as they walked directly over to the "soup line." Archer assumed that  
this was what the serving area was called; he could see two gigantic kanji painted  
onto the floor and the pattern made by their intricate shape led directly to the  
spigot which procured the hot food.  
  
Hoshi and Archer gathered up a serving of noodles, vegetables and hot broth. They  
silently thanked the priest who had led them there, and then quietly made their way  
into a vast hallway that ran next door. No talking was permitted in the dining area,  
and visitors were often instructed to carry their bowls and sticks into an adjacent  
area. Most people knew well enough to return these supplies once they had been  
properly emptied.  
  
Hoshi silently ate her meal for a while as she carefully observed Captain Archer out  
of the side of her vision. He was occasionally scooping up a mouthful of food, but  
she could see that this was a slow process for him. He was having a little bit of  
trouble eating the slippery noodles with the sticks, and he kept on blowing the hot  
steam away from each portion.  
  
Archer was enjoying the simple dinner so much that he almost missed the new piece of  
artwork that was within the room. He had glanced at the wall behind Hoshi and  
abruptly noticed that there was a giant golden Buddha painted upon it. He craned his  
neck back as far as it could go but he was barely able to make out the smiling lips  
and shining eyes at the top of the tremendous image. The bright, shiny color scheme  
of the figure blended into the surrounding gray shadows at its edges. This created an  
illusion that made the Buddha appear as if it was sunken into the rest of the wall  
that wrapped around it.  
  
After several minutes, they had both finished with their cuisine but neither made a  
move to return the utensils just yet. Archer approached Hoshi as she stood next to  
the foot of the Buddha and struck up another conversation with her.  
  
"Well Hoshi," he began, "Where are you off to next?"  
  
She beamed at him with uninhibited pride before answering, "I'm going to teach some  
basic xeno-communication skills to a handful of specialized students in the Brazilian  
rain forest. Classes begin at the start of the next month."  
  
"That sounds splendid," he replied, and then a new thought occurred to him. "You know  
something? I've only been to the Amazon once in my life. It was back when I was your  
age... I was on a jungle survival exercise with my father."  
  
Sato watched as his calm demeanor began to fade and a deep sadness replaced his  
expression. She felt the urge to console him in some way, even though she could only  
guess at what it was that had poorly affected his mood. Archer took a deep breath and  
shook off the slight wave of depression that had hit him.  
  
He returned his gaze to Hoshi and continued talking to her. "Maybe I'll be able to  
pay you a visit out there, but only if Starfleet will allow it."  
  
Now it was Sato's turn to drastically change her expression. Archer noticed how she  
unexpectedly became a bit droopy when he had mentioned his possible visit. At first  
he thought that he must have overstepped the level of formality he had with her, but  
Hoshi had already straightened herself out and looked up at him before speaking once  
more.  
  
She hesitated for a moment before saying, "Of course, sir. If Starfleet authorizes  
it, you'd be more than welcome to come see me again."  
  
"Please, you can call me Jonathan." He had to regain her confidence again, so he  
tried easing a friendlier tone back into his voice. "Neither of us is on any kind of  
official duty with an Admiral present, are we? All we're having is just an informal  
conversation among peers." He playfully dropped his head down to her level and  
lightly grinned.  
  
"All right then, Jonathan." She became more animated as his gracious mood worked to  
encourage her. Hoshi shuffled around in front of the painted area for a brief moment  
before she sauntered away, placed a bit of distance between her body and its image.  
Archer could hear strength and confidence in her voice as she started to speak up  
some more. "So... you say that you're a peer of mine? What's your key area of study;  
is it poly-linguistics, xeno-linguistics, or maybe even what I'm dong here: trying to  
decipher the origin of language itself as it was created by an ancient human  
society?"  
  
"Er... um, well -- No. Nothing as complex as that, Hoshi." The elder officer  
temporarily lost his professionalism as he began scuffing his shoes while staring  
down at the ground. "I'm just a simple starship Captain, but I've had my fair share  
of lessons in elementary Vulcan. I also got to practice talking with a Tellarite  
diplomat last year, as well as some Rigellians three weeks ago."  
  
Hoshi immediately became highly interested with what he was now saying and decided to  
quickly interrupt him. "Did you ever encounter anything significantly unique or  
highly specialized that I might not have heard of?"  
  
"Oh yeah," he answered, "I once had to learn a few phrases of a very strange language  
spoken by some serpentine humanoids."  
  
Upon hearing this, she began to display the same kind of eager energy that Archer had  
from when he first entered the temple. "So many different aliens... and it sounds  
like you've done a lot of traveling in order to meet with all of them." Hoshi said,  
not even bothering to conceal the wonder she felt as his choice of career.  
  
"Yes, I have," Archer replied, "but I've only been able to travel locally throughout  
the Galaxy. Many of our closest neighbors are well aware of our presence, but they  
also need to know about our desire to explore everything around us as well." He  
paused briefly as he considered the words he'd use next. "I was able to visit most of  
them with a bunch of different Admirals over the course of these previous five years.  
But if I've learned anything from my travels, it's that there's no place like home."  
  
Hoshi's face lit up when she heard this, prompting her to speak up again. "When it  
comes to my past travels with Starfleet, I'm a bit more simplistic in my descriptions  
of where I've been. I prefer just to make a few short hops around my own backyard. At  
least once a year, I try and make a visit to one of the gas giants, preferably Saturn  
to Jupiter because of... well, you know? The rings around that celestial body are  
just so much prettier than having to look at a big, ugly red spot." She wrinkled her  
face at this before continuing. "But this Christmas, I planned on heading all the way  
out to Pluto. It's going to cross paths with Neptune on the twenty-ninth, and I'd  
love to see that from the edge of the Kuiper belt if I can."  
  
Archer seemed genuinely pleased to here this. He still wanted to press her a bit more  
about inter-stellar travel though. "But have you ever had the desire to visit any of  
our neighboring systems? I'm sure you know that Proxima Centauri is less than a few  
days away at Warp 3. Why don't you head on over there instead of merely visiting the  
cold edge of our solar system?"  
  
Awkwardly, she looked away from him, and the words came pouring out of her mouth  
before she could stop them. "Flying faster than light always makes nervous, and I  
tend to get a little... space sick." Sato raised her eyes back up to his, trying to  
show an ounce of confidence that she really didn't feel. "It's nothing I can't  
handle, but it's something I prefer to face when the time is right."  
  
Archer's face dropped upon hearing this, but after a moment he was able to speak to  
her again. "Well, Hoshi... I have to admit that I'm kind of sorry to hear you say  
that. You really don't know what you're missing." A second later, he stared right at  
her until he was certain of her full attention. "I personally believe that every one  
of us, every single human being, should share in the exploration of the Universe.  
Have you ever considered all the wonderful things it has to offer us?" Archer looked  
away and started stomping around the room a bit; waving his hands apart and then  
clasping them behind his back. Hoshi's eyes never left him as he spoke.  
  
"I can't put it into words..." he continued, "I wouldn't know how to give you a  
visual description of what I've seen. It's almost impossible for me to explain half  
of the places I've been, and there's so much more out there!" He was grinning again,  
and had stopped pacing for the moment. "Every scientist I know tells me that there  
are hundreds of star systems out there, all of them directly within our reach. And  
that means that there could be thousands of planets too, and so many of them are  
inexplicably different from Earth or any of the worlds nearby that belong to our  
inter-stellar associates."  
  
Hoshi let him completely finish before she was able to catch his eye and speak again.  
"It sounds really amazing sir, but my current duties keep me right here. And at the  
moment, I prefer being very close to home."  
  
Without any hesitation, Archer drew near to her and asked the obvious. "But there's  
more to you than that, Ensign Sato. You're not just some highly qualified linguist  
that performs various studies for the Fleet, there are plenty of those. I know that  
you've worked with something a bit more advanced than a multitude of crumbling paper  
while sitting inside of a dusty mountain."  
  
Hoshi saw where this was going. She straightened up to her full height before  
speaking. "I'm sure you already know that I'm fully qualified to operate as an  
executive communications officer on board any ship in the Fleet. I have an extensive  
knowledge in how to determine incoming sub-space transmissions, and I am highly  
familiar with a variety of alien signal modification techniques. My last tutor even  
told me that I have 'magic ears' due to how easily I was able to pick out an encoded  
message within an ancient radio frequency which he had sent to me through a chaotic  
asteroid field."  
  
Archer considered this for a moment before pursuing another question he had. "And  
yet... you still haven't acquired a desire to put these skills to use?"  
  
Hoshi firmly stated her reply, "I plan on heading out into the Galaxy eventually, but  
I prefer unlocking the secrets of our ancestors first."  
  
And with that, Archer decided to pleasantly resign their conversation. He saw no  
point in forcing anyone into making such a critical decision. He dropped his serious  
manner and began walking back to the kitchen area they had come from. "Well Hoshi, I  
wish I could convince you, but I guess I'll just have to allow you to determine your  
own path in life."  
  
She promptly caught up with him and gave him an appreciative smile. "Thank you very  
much for saying that, Jonathan."  
  
Archer turned over his shoulder and looked pleasantly at her. "Think nothing of it."  
He quickly shifted the bowl and sticks into his left hand and dug something out of  
his pocket. Hoshi could see the tiny LCD readout screen at the top of the palm-padd,  
and she then heard a low mumble escape from the Captain as he examined the  
chronological readout. He saw that the sun was about to set and let out a low sigh as  
he switched the numerical time display off and slipped the gadget back into his  
pants. "I really must get going now," he said, "I have an early meeting with some  
Engineering personnel down in Australia, and I need to get my shuttle back in the air  
before nightfall. I hear that the weather is going to get bad."  
  
"Yeah," Hoshi said, "I heard the same thing from the local meteorologist they have  
here." She stepped in front of him and halted, holding him right outside of the  
cooking room. Archer could see by the look on her face that she had an idea of some  
sort, but he didn't know what it possibly could be. "Before you go, there's one more  
thing in this temple that you should experience."  
  
Archer looked back at the wall behind them. "It's not another colossal figure of  
Buddha, is it?"  
  
"Oh no," she laughed, "not at all. All you have to do is ask one of the monks to take  
you up to the Kun-Hong at the top of this place."  
  
He gazed at her for a while, feeling a bit unsure about whether or not he should go  
through with this final suggestion. But after only a few seconds, Archer shrugged his  
shoulders and said, "Why not?"  
  
Hoshi smiled broadly at him as she said, "Trust me, Jon, you'll love it."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Archer skillfully felt his way up the wall as he reached out to grasp the next  
available protrusion. He had no idea how the "ladder" had been constructed, but it  
certainly couldn't have been a natural creation. Each ledge that he touched was  
intimately smooth and his hands fit inside of them perfectly. As he continued  
climbing, he could see that everything surrounding him had been carved out of the  
solid rock of the mountain. There were hundreds of Chinese characters written all  
over each of the steps, and no two were the same. As he ascended, Jonathan could see  
a series of tiny child-like figures chipped into the stony surface of the barrier  
that ran parallel to him. Some parts of the upward tunnel were a tight squeeze to fit  
through, but Archer was able to bend his body around the awkward outcroppings and  
make his way a bit closer to the summit.  
  
More than ten minutes later, Jonathan could finally see the sky through an opening at  
the top of the temple. As he reached the last several handholds, Archer saw that a  
purple colored light was covering them. He looked in the air and gazed at the clouds,  
witnessing the traces of pink and orange they made as they slowly evaporated above  
him.  
  
The next level after the last step was the roof of the temple. He reached up and laid  
both of his hands upon the cold stone. With one giant pull, Archer flipped himself  
over in order to sit there on the open, flat surface. Instantly, he noticed that a  
dozen more mountains stretched around him, each one taller than the last. After he  
spent a few moments catching his breath, Jonathan was content to simply stay right  
where he was; staring at everything around him. The view was utterly astounding; it  
was as if an artist possessed by magic had decided to carve an ethereal landscape.  
  
Directly to the west but very far off in the distance, the brilliant blood red sun  
was resting on top of the horizon. It sat there for only a few seconds before  
gradually sinking and dissipating into the layer of atmosphere below. Archer was so  
transfixed at this that he didn't even hear the monk who arrived, climbing up from  
the same ladder. The small man sat down behind him and studied all that was happening  
in the opposite direction. Sensing that something was slightly different, Jonathan  
eventually turned around and caught sight of the priest.  
  
He wasn't mad at the man for sneaking up on him, and even if he was, that thought  
would have been quickly erased. Drifting out of the east, hovering and floating in  
the far expanse of the Pacific Ocean, the moon made itself known.  
  
"Luna!" cried the holy man, raising his steady hand to point directly at the center  
of Earth's only satellite. Archer grinned from ear to ear as he watched the grayish  
half-circle rise into the clouds. The first stars of the night were beginning to  
appear, only a few of them forming into familiar constellations. He could distinctly  
see the sparkling light of Venus as she made her way into Cassiopeia's chair, and  
then the monk signaled for him to return inside the temple. Before he could protest,  
a sharp breeze fell onto him and whipped a giant amount of dust into his face and  
eyes. He tried to wash it away with his bare hands but it had already blinded him. He  
stood there and shook his head for a moment before dropping to his knees and crawling  
back down the carved ladder.  
  
Archer was able to easily make his way approximately five meters before he stopped  
and settled his body against the flat wall of a nearby ledge. He tried to wipe his  
face clean but found it too difficult with only one available hand.  
  
And then, he heard the kindly voice of the monk at his side. "Chou cho." Jonathan  
felt a piece of fabric placed into his palm. On reflex, he used it to wipe at his  
eyelids and mouth. The gentle smile of the bald man hung before him, and he realized  
that he could see clearly once again.  
  
"Thank you. You're very kind." The other man gave him a casual nod in return, and  
then he proceeded to make his way all the way back down to the ground. Archer  
hesitated, watching the man go before following him. He smiled to himself while  
having an amusing thought.  
  
"I can't wait to tell Trip about this place!"  
  
He laughed loudly, and the sound echoed off the edges of the rocky tube as he  
continued to descend it with ease and stealth.  
  
  
THE END  
  
* * * * * 


End file.
